The District 58 Board of Education held a Curriculum Workshop on Monday, Oct. 23, 2017. Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Justin Sisul shared a presentation on recent standardized test data, curricular developments, parent partnerships and communication, Title I and Title II grants, and school improvement plans, all of which stem from the district’s Strategic Goals Action Plan. View the agenda and presentation links.
Standardized Test Data
Sisul gave an overview of the standardized assessments administered by District 58, including AIMSWeb Plus, MAP and PARCC. He noted that fall student assessment data provides a benchmark for the beginning of the school year and can be useful to assess what has been retained over the summer. Fall data is especially valuable when viewed in relation to winter and spring assessments to track growth and pinpoint areas needing intervention.
AIMSWeb Plus
AIMSWeb Plus is an update to the previous AIMSWeb assessment platform utilized by District 58 for several years. With this update, students in kindergarten and first grade were introduced to new assessments of early literacy which replaced the previous assessments used at this level. Sisul emphasized that this is new data for the district and in coming years, the District will begin to see emerging trends. Students in grades 2-8 are assessed for oral reading fluency through this platform; however, if students in third grade and above demonstrate an established proficiency criteria, they no longer receive this assessment.
NWEA-MAP
Fall NWEA-MAP results across District 58 continue to be consistently above the national mean in both reading and math. “The results on the MAP reflect strong student academic achievement and show that our students are not only exceeding standards but continuing to grow and improve over time,” Sisul said. Both the District 58 School Report Card and MAP are aligned to the Common Core standards.
The NWEA-MAP test was administered to all K-8 students this fall. Kindergarten and first grade students were tested in reading and math through an auditory presentation, while students in grades 2-8 were tested in reading, math and language usage. The tests are given three times each year and provide a picture of student performance over time. Student median achievement percentiles are at or above the 69th percentile for math and reading in grades 1-8 across the district; the national median percentile is 50. This fall, in math, six of nine grade levels achieved their highest median MAP scores ever, with student grade level scores ranging from the 63rd-77th median percentile in math. Similarly, strong scores were noted in reading, with three grade levels achieving their highest median scores ever, ranging from the 75th-78th percentile.
“There’s a lot to celebrate with both our students’ achievement and also our District’s progress toward improving and refining our curricula,” said Superintendent Dr. Kari Cremascoli. “We are excited by what our students and schools are doing. Yet, we recognize that there is a lot of important work that lies ahead of us as well.”
Several years ago, the math curriculum was realigned to reflect increased rigor and Common Core State Standards. The growth in MAP scores, in part, reflects those changes. The District recently adopted a new English/Language Arts curricular resource; during the first phase of implementation, the resources are being used in many classrooms as the English/Language Arts Committee works to define the curricular blueprint for all students.
PARCC
Preliminary results from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test administered in spring 2017 were shared. PARCC is a Common Core aligned state-mandated assessment for students in grades 3-8. Only 91.6 percent of District 58 students participated in the test (the state requirement is 95 percent participation). Referencing a 2016 study done by NWEA of over 23,000 Illinois students that shows a strong correlation between MAP and PARCC scores, it was noted that District 58 scores are not correlating at the expected threshold. According to the study, students who perform at about the 62nd-70th percentile or higher on the MAP, depending on their grade level, are likely to meet or exceed standards on the PARCC. This indicates that students in District 58 are underperforming on the PARCC despite strong performances covering similar content areas on the MAP. The Board discussed possible reasons for the disparity, including the perception among some parents and students that the PARCC test doesn’t matter, differences in testing platforms, the percentage of students opting out of PARCC, and students’ relative unfamiliarity with the format of the test.
Member John Miller and Member Darren Hughes noted that real estate websites that rate schools in the community base their ratings on PARCC scores, so that PARCC results have an impact on how the community perceives the quality of District 58 schools.
Superintendent Dr. Kari Cremascoli expressed that the district may need a change in its approach to PARCC, recognizing that this particular measure is important as it relates to the community. Dr. Cremascoli acknowledged that the district has not placed great emphasis on PARCC, especially because the delay in score reporting prevents the district from using scores to inform instructional decisions or class placement. In addition, our community has expressed significant concern about the PARCC test. Despite the lack of confidence that some members of our community have expressed in the PARCC, the district is required by the state to administer this assessment and the scores are used to rank schools and districts. Although the district has not pursued PARCC preparation activities in the past, it could explore ways to encourage students to approach PARCC with the same rigor and preparedness as they do other measures that evaluate their academic performance.
Herrick Middle School teacher Andy Schmidt posed the question to the Board, “Where do we go from here?” Schmidt indicated that direction from the Board defining its philosophy toward standardized testing, and particularly the PARCC test, would be useful to staff before they need to prepare their students for the next PARCC assessment in the spring of 2018. He noted that, unlike PARCC, the MAP test format’s immediate feedback to students spurs competition and encourages students to perform their best. It was also noted that MAP’s immediate feedback helps students to be motivated and to find relevance in the assessment results.
The Board further discussed possible approaches to PARCC and standardized testing in general. Member Greg Harris and Vice President Elizabeth Sigale both remarked that the upcoming strategic planning process presents an opportunity to explore the community’s opinions on standardized testing. President Doug Purcell summarized the Board’s desire to hear suggestions on how PARCC results might be improved. The Board stressed that they are happy with current instruction within the district and with student performance on the MAP, an assessment that is also aligned to the Common Core and includes the same academic content areas of the PARCC. As such, the Board indicated that they do not envision any drastic paradigm shifts regarding standardized testing. However, the Board would like to consider possible opportunities to shift negative attitudes toward PARCC and to help students succeed in all evaluation formats to accurately demonstrate what they have learned.
“If all standardized tests are aligned to common core standards, we don’t necessarily have to do anything different instructionally,” said Sisul. However, adjustments in our approach to the PARCC assessment, in our support for students taking the test, as well as in our community’s support for the measure may be helpful, he said. He affirmed that he would like the opportunity to work with teacher groups and administration to craft a unified message after exploring the data more in depth.
School Improvement Plans
School improvement plans from all District 58 schools were shared with the Board. School improvement plans are developed on an individual building level, based on data review, team discussions, and analysis of accomplishments and relative growth targets. The action-oriented format for school improvement plans is the same across the district, including the three goal areas of literacy, math and social emotional learning (SEL).
Curricular Developments
- Ongoing curricular work in English/Language Arts includes implementation of new resources through Phase 1 of the recently adopted Benchmark and StudySync curricula. Conversations regarding best practices of balanced literacy instruction are continuing both in district-wide professional development and at the building level.
- The Math Committee continues its work in year two of the math blueprint. Assessments are now available on all math topics in grades K through 8. Common assessments will be introduced to all grade levels this year, allowing for comparable data review across the district.
- STEM Committee members have been attending Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) training through the Regional Office of Education and have been working to identify resources to align with NGSS.
- The Middle School Exploratory Committee met for the first time in October to review current offerings, research offerings of other districts, and identify areas for refinement or revision of relevant exploratory opportunities for students.
Parent Partnerships and Communication
Mr. Sisul shared highlights from the three report card parent information nights:
- The history of the report card revisions, including the use of standards-based grading in K-8 and letter grades in grades 4-8.
- The inclusion of learner behavior assessments in all grade levels as well as revised descriptors and progress indicators.
- Online resources available for parents via the district website.
- The anticipated re-opening of the middle school parent portal during second quarter; the portal was deliberately closed for the first quarter to allow teachers time to implement the revised reporting system while ensuring that the online platform accurately reflected student achievement information.
Title I and Title II Grants
Mr. Sisul gave an overview of Title I and Title II grants. Title I grants are distributed based on percentages of low-income children within a school. Four schools in District 58 receive Title I funds, which provide targeted support for students based on academic at-risk factors and needs. Title II grants are designated to provide improvement in teacher and instructional quality. The funds support professional development, committee work and grade level collaboration days across the district, and are shared with local private schools.
Upcoming events:
- Meet & Confer Strategic Plan Committee, Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017, 7:00 a.m. – Longfellow Center
- Regular Board Meeting, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017, 7:00 p.m. – Downers Grove Village Hall
District 58 Board of Education members are: Doug Purcell, president; Elizabeth Sigale, vice president; Greg Harris, Darren Hughes, John Miller, Jill Samonte and Beth Taylor; with Dr. Kari Cremascoli, superintendent; and Melissa Jerves, board secretary.